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Jedward – Planet Jedward

(Universal Ireland)

It’s the porno mag question that stops you in your tracks. How will Jedward, this year’s bona fide pop sensation, deal with the ‘your mum threw away your best porno mag’ line in their cover of the Beastie Boys’ (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)? Yes, that’s right. The Beastie Boys. If Jedward’s debut (and let’s face, quite probably only) album does anything, it takes a pretty eclectic look at the history of music. Over the course of it’s tracks, they tackle the work of Queen, Reel II Reel, Blink 182, M, Vanilla Ice, Ray Parker Jr and The Undertones amongst others. Again…yes. The Undertones.

So Planet Jedward has to be awful, right? Well…..it’s certainly not the greatest pop album you’ll hear this year but it certainly isn’t the worst. None of this has much to do with the twins themselves, whose contribution has been left low in the mix bar the odd grating bit of dialogue. Where the record stands or falls is on the choice of material. The more novelty stuff, most of it garnered from their X Factor days, is pretty naff too yet in amongst the ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘I Like To Move It’ type numbers there are some half decent pop covers.

Blink 182 fans may huff and puff at the inclusion of ‘All The Small Things’ but this is virtually a note for note version of the original, which was always a great song. The Beastie Boys track is good fun, there’s a really good version of Bow Wow Wow’s ‘I Want Candy’ and any chance to hear ‘Jump’ by Kriss Kross is always welcome. They make a balls of ‘Teenage Kicks’ for sure but the album finishes on a surprisingly strong note with M’s ‘Pop Muzik’. There’s been a lot of talk about that very genre on this site in the past few days, maybe too much talk, and an organised rallying to defend perceived slurs on certain artists but there are more thrills to be had in one minute of this album than in some bands’ entire careers. Jedward have made an album and the world hasn’t stopped spinning. Do we love it? Of course not. Do we hate it? Not at all. Will we listen to it again? Probably when our kids play it on repeat. Will we mind? Nah.

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And I thought you were joking about a Jedward review Phil! Sounds… relatively bearable, and at least on CD their faces can’t incite violence, as long as you don’t look at the cover too much. Still, the chances of me spending a single cent on it are about the same as my chances of defecting to North Korea over the summer…

James Hendicott

And I thought you were joking about a Jedward review Phil!

River

Well I absolutely love the twins to bits, and this is about the ONLY fair review of their album I have seen so far.

I wish Nigel Wright and Louis had a bit more faith in their vocals and pushed them more to the front on some of the tracks, it’s for fans, we like their singing whatever anyone else may think about it!

Fingers crossed they do get a 2nd go cos there is a bone fide pop act in them, they’ve not been doing it a year yet, and done so much other stuff on the side. But that get something out there X factor hype window is short.

Live, they really are a lot better than this album, they honest to goodness are.
but it’s fun, it made me smile. And that’s what it’s for.

And yeah Jedward made an album of pop songs, they didn’t make the world end for goodness sake some people really need to get a grip!

Karen

James Hendicott noboby is asking you to spend money on their album – your photo indicates your not their target audience however your uncalled for comment on their faces inciting violence shows you to be immature and juvenile so perhaps Im wrong!

James Hendicott

I didnt think Id need to say this, but I was being very tongue in cheek. Carry on!

I’m sure the music industry will do just fine while this kind of recycled “cover album” is always an option for the label who needs to make a bit of cash.

Would be more interesting if they had at least done an album of, dare i say it, original material. Even if that original material is written by someone and sang by someone else….oh….wait.

eevee2may

i bought this album yesterday
to be honest i expected more from the album
i am a jedward fan BTW
Ghostbusters disapointed me
the live version of the song was way better
less of the cheesey talking PLZ
they should have put oops i did it again on the album as all the fans love the song and the twins themselves are always saying how much they love brittany
also
NO BACKSTREET BOYS????????????????
ok i dont love that band but i expect at least one song from them on the album